LTO aims to finish 90-percent license plate backlog by late 2023

MANILA: The Land Transportation Office (LTO) targets to finish at least 90-percent of the production of its backlog of vehicle license plates by the end of the year 2023.

According to LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Teofilo Guadiz III, the LTO will use its own plant to produce plates at least a few percent of the total shortfall before the end of the year.

As for the plates that cannot be completed this year, Guadiz said the agency plans to hire the services of a private company to complete at least 90-percent of the backlog by December next year.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) earlier approved P4.7 billion in funds to address the backlog in vehicle license plates although the LTO's requested funds are at P6.83-billion.

However, the LTO Chief remains positive that both Houses of Congress will approve the full funding it is requesting for the vehicle license plate backlog.

So far, up to 2.3 million pairs of replacement plates or the replacement of plates with green characters and white background to black characters and white background need to be completed. There is a backlog of 11.5 million for motorcycle license plates.

"Right now, we have already extended the operating hours of the LTO license plate manufacturing plant. It now operates even on Saturdays so that it can produce more replacement plates and reduce the backlog," according to LTO chief Guadiz.

Based on data from the LTO Plate making Plant, more than 300,000 pairs of replacement plates have been produced as of October 3 of the current year. Production of replacement plates began this May.

Meanwhile, Guadiz emphasized that the LTO has no backlog in producing license plates for newly registered vehicles.

Regarding what the LTO charges for replacement license plates, Guadiz said it is deposited in the National Treasury every day and if funds are needed for the work, it is requested from Congress or the DBM.

In the production of license plates for motorcycles, the LTO Chief said that the priority for now is to provide a license plate for the rear and a decal for the front of the vehicle.

"We put the back plates first. For the front, the thrust of the previous administration which we are adapting now is that we will use a decal. We are anticipating the passage of the new law, so for now, we will just address the back plates first, not the front ones," explained the LTO Chief.

Photos from Land Transportation Office and Roy Robles 

Also read: Number coding back in Metro Manila starting Aug. 15